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The plantings around a designer's house are often created in serendipitous fits and starts as free plants become available. "As a busy mom and business owner," says designer Anna Brooks, "my garden usually comes last on my list of priorities, so it really has to hold its own. It’s also been described as a home for misfit plants."

"I've often taken in discarded plants from job site remodels and tucked them in here and there, where they fill spots and thrive. My garden changes from year to year." The front entry to Anna's own home with its traditional American architecture is the ideal centerpiece for a beautiful country garden. The space is marked by a freestanding pilaster with lighting designed to guide guests to the house. Beyond this view lies a sunken terrace that's screened by waves of black-eyed-Susans, lavender, and pink bigleaf hydrangea that all offer early color to the short Michigan growing season. "I have multiple levels in this landscape with terraces and secret garden on a lower level. My long, perennial borders disguise the transitions so you don't see the terrace that supports parties of well over a hundred guests."